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16 Aug This Really Made the Birds Mad

The birds are mad.

For the record, I want to state at the beginning, that the AOS (American Ornithological Society) works with the best of intentions. They provide an important, valuable service. And they strive to promote conservation of bird species and populations.

But the birds are still mad.

Here’s why.

Recently the AOS announced new names for some birds.

For example, the bird in the above photo is now the California Scrub-Jay. I know this because I took the photo in California.

However, this bird spent its life thinking it was a Western Scrub-Jay.

Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay

And the bird in the above photo is now the Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay.

I know this because I took the photo in Zion National Park, which is in Utah. And the Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay lives in Utah (not in California).

However, this bird spent its life thinking it was a Western Scrub-Jay.

Imagine how you would feel if a committee changed the names of your family members so that some of them were no longer your relatives.

I expect you’d be mad.

When the birds met to discuss this, they were furious.

So they retaliated. First, they decided to rename the AOS. Now they refer to it as the American Obfuscation Society.

Then some birds proposed that they change the name of their class from Aves to Dinosaurs, which would make the AOS irrelevant. But that idea was voted down by a slim margin.

Finally, the wise ones prevailed.

They explained:

“Feathers do not define us. Names do not define us. Shape, size, and species do not define us. We are all part of a song that is larger than any label.”

A collective silence followed.

And the birds returned to work the next day, being birds.

I do have a caution.

You may notice that some birds are now calling people names like squirrel, raccoon, and hamster.

Bob Franz

Hi Everyone, Use the link for the AOU Check List at the bottom of this post. Then perform a find in your browser for Woodhouse or Scrub Jay. Since this is a new name, it won’t appear in any field guide. Thank for your comments.

Ah Steve, I’ve been away from blogging and reading blogs much of the summer. It’s so good to come back and find this post. Could you hear me laughing? I doubt I could tell the difference between one bird and the other. What, I wonder, was the committee’s reasoning? Some difference in the bird’s DNA? Take care, Sir! Looking forward to catching up a little with your avian friends.